Drilling holes was one of the first applications for lasers and continues to be an important niche application in industry. A typical example is the drilling of cooling holes in jet engine turbine blades. Prior art laser devices used to form holes in metallic substrates comprise large, non-portable assemblies. In addition, prior art methods using such non-portable laser devices generally include continuous operation at power levels exceeding 1000 Watts.
What is needed is a hand-held apparatus which directs a laser beam onto a work surface. Such a device could be used as a hand-held cutting tool, and/or as a hand-held drill. Applicants' invention comprises a hand-held apparatus from which a laser beam can be directed onto a work surface.